Opening Scene: The Storm Before the End
The rain fell heavier than it had all season.
It battered against the glass walls of the Tokyo International Badminton Arena, drowning out the voices of the crowd and rattling the ceiling like an omen.
Inside, there was an uncanny tension in the air—like the storm itself had crawled inside and was now swirling around the final match.
Akio stood at the edge of the court, his transparent umbrella folded at his side, droplets of water still clinging to his hair.
His emerald-green eyes were sharp, determined, yet undeniably haunted.
He could feel the weight of every choice, every battle, every heartbreak that had led him here.
Across the court, Ukio emerged from the shadows of the tunnel.
His black hoodie was slick with rainwater, clinging to his wiry frame.
His swift shaggy black hair hung over his face, a single bandage still clinging stubbornly to his left cheek.
And those emerald-green eyes—so eerily like Akio's—glimmered beneath the neon lights, reflecting the storm as though they contained an entire thundercloud within them.
The crowd's murmurs fell to complete silence as Ukio took his place.
He didn't greet Akio.
He didn't even glance at the cheering spectators.
He just stood there, head slightly bowed, his aura so heavy it made it hard to breathe.
This is it, Akio thought, clutching his racket until his knuckles turned white.
No more mysteries. No more running. Ukio... tonight, I find out who you really are.
The Match Begins
The referee raised his whistle.
"Final match. Begin!"
Ukio didn't charge immediately.
Instead, he stared at Akio across the net, completely motionless, as if daring him to make the first move.
It was a psychological war before it was even physical.
Then, without warning, Ukio struck.
His first serve was blisteringly fast, a blur of motion that screamed through the air like a bullet.
Akio barely managed to return it, the shuttle ricocheting upward in a wild arc.
Ukio was already there, leaping into the air and smashing it down so hard it left a crack in the court.
Point: Ukio.
The crowd erupted, but Akio's heartbeat drowned out the noise.
Ukio's movements were terrifyingly precise—calculated, almost mechanical—but there was something underneath them, something raw and broken.
And as Akio stared at those familiar eyes, the storm inside Ukio's mind began to bleed into the world.
Flashback: The Brothers' Lost Childhood
Rain.
It had been raining the day they were closest.
Two small kids, playing barefoot in the flooded streets outside their house, laughing and splashing each other like nothing else in the world mattered.
Ukio had been the younger brother, shy and awkward but always smiling when he was near his older sibling.
The child who now stood across the court from Akio—the body Akio now possessed—had been the kind of brother who could light up a room just by walking into it.
They were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod.
The world felt whole when they were together.
But even in those golden days, a shadow lingered at the edges of Ukio's heart.
Their parents adored them both, but there was always something extra in the way they looked at his brother.
A little more pride.
A little more love.
At first, Ukio didn't mind.
His brother deserved it.
He was smart, kind, and brave—everything Ukio wasn't.
But as the years went on, that shadow grew.
High School – The Breaking Point
By the time they reached high school, Ukio's jealousy had twisted into something poisonous.
His brother became a legend at their school.
He aced every exam, including the school's infamous mathematics trial, a test so brutal no one had ever passed it in the institution's history.
The day he succeeded, the entire school treated him like a hero.
Ukio watched from the sidelines as his brother was showered with praise, admiration, and love.
Even strangers on the street would recognize him, whispering about how brilliant he was.
Ukio forced himself to smile.
He congratulated his brother.
He clapped the loudest at the ceremonies.
But inside, his heart was splintering.
Why not me? Ukio thought bitterly night after night, lying awake in bed.
I work just as hard. I breathe the same air. So why... why is he always first? Why is he always better?
The more his brother shone, the darker Ukio's world became.
The jealousy that had once been a dull ache now burned like molten iron.
The Rooftop Murder
One cold, rainy morning, Ukio finally broke.
He invited his brother to meet him on the school rooftop before classes started, pretending he needed advice on an upcoming exam.
His brother, ever so kind and trusting, agreed.
As the rain poured down around them, Ukio stood trembling, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. Until blood bled out of them, hidden from his brother's gaze.
His brother smiled at him through the mist, completely unaware of the storm raging inside Ukio's heart.
"Ukio," he said gently, "you've been acting strange lately. Is something wrong?"
Ukio's voice broke as he screamed:
"Why is it always you?!"
Before his brother could respond, Ukio lunged, shoving him toward the edge.
His brother's eyes went wide with shock and betrayal as he stumbled backward, arms flailing.
And then... he fell.
The sickening thud as his body hit the ground below was swallowed by the rain.
Ukio stood frozen, staring at his trembling hands, tears mixing with the downpour.
He couldn't breathe.
He couldn't think.
Above him, the clouds roared as if mocking him, and Ukio whispered the quote their parents had always said when scolding him for jealousy:
"If sorrow is a garden, then I am its patient gardener, pruning memories until only scars remain in bloom."
The Witness
Ukio spun around—only to see a classmate standing in the doorway, their face pale with horror.
They bolted, screaming, their footsteps echoing through the stairwell.
"No!" Ukio shouted, his voice raw.
He chased them down the stairs, his mind a storm of panic and rage.
But by the time he reached the main hall, it was too late.
The classmate had already called the police and ambulance.
Ukio ran.
He didn't stop until his lungs burned and his legs gave out.
And when he finally collapsed, soaked in blood and rain, the only thing he could hear were the sirens.
The Twist of Fate
Miraculously, his brother survived.
But when he awoke in the hospital, his memory was gone.
He couldn't recall his own brilliance, his popularity, or even Ukio himself.
At first, Ukio was relieved.
This was his chance to make things right.
But then... something inside him twisted further when he overheard his parents talking.
They were heartbroken—not because of what Ukio had done, but because their beloved eldest son no longer remembered them.
Ukio realized with sickening clarity that he would never win.
Even stripped of everything, his brother would always be loved more than him.
Even when he forgets me, Ukio thought, his heart turning to ice, he still wins.
The rumors spread like wildfire.
People whispered about "The Blood Kid," the nickname they gave his brother after the horrific incident. Ending his popularity, and beggining the spree of bullying
Ukio was labeled a criminal and a monster.
From that day onward, he became a ghost—living in the shadows, never seeing the light of day.
His heart withered, hardened by grief and despair until it felt like solid iron.
The Sinister Plan
Years later, Ukio saw his brother again—this time possessed by Akio, though Ukio didn't know it.
To him, the teenager standing before him was still his beloved, hated brother, now going by the name "Akio."
Ukio devised a plan.
He would set up a hidden trap inside the final tournament match.
When Akio won—which Ukio was certain he would—his victory would trigger a pressure plate beneath his feet.
A massive steel box would fall from above, crushing Akio to death before the entire crowd.
His organs would burst like watermelons, a grotesque public execution.
Ukio would then reveal his face, showing everyone that his "murderous brother" had finally snapped.
The world would see him as the victim.
The tragedy that had defined his life would finally be rewritten in his favor.
And in doing so, Ukio believed he could finally prove his innocence for the rooftop incident so many years ago. And frame Yukiko for the final act.
Back to the Present
The flashback dissolved as Ukio returned to the present, his breath ragged.
He stared at Akio across the court, a sickening mix of love and hatred swirling in his eyes.
You'll win, little brother, Ukio thought, a twisted smile creeping across his face.
And when you do, I'll take everything from you—just like you took everything from me.
Akio, unaware of the trap beneath his feet, tightened his grip on his racket.
He could feel the darkness radiating from Ukio, but he didn't understand its source.
The referee raised his hand.
"Final set. Match point!"
As the storm outside reached a fever pitch, the two brothers charged.
Their rackets clashed.
The shuttle soared.
And somewhere above, a hidden mechanism waited for the moment of Akio's greatest triumph to become his ultimate downfall.
Cliffhanger
The score ticked upward: 20-19.
Akio was one point away from victory.
Ukio froze mid-court, his smile widening into something terrifyingly inhuman.
He whispered the same words he had spoken the night of the rooftop murder, his voice carrying eerily through the hall:
"If sorrow is a garden, then I am its patient gardener, pruning memories until only scars remain in bloom."
Akio's eyes widened in shock.
Lightning split the sky.
The final rally began.
TO BE CONTINUED...